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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

For those that saw my Thanksgiving Printable, this is a refresher tutorial. For those that are new to making printables, welcome.

Start by opening Picnik.com. There is no way to open a blank document here so you have to upload any photo. Click upload a photo. Since I wanted my document to be portrait, I uploaded a photo that was already in portrait view.

Once your picture is uploaded, select Stickers from the Edit tab. Under the Geometric shape section, choose the rectangle. The sticker is automatically horizontal so you may have to rotate it if your picture is portrait. Enlarge the sticker to cover your uploaded photo and change the background color to your choice. My sticker is white so it may be hard to see here.

You can now begin to add your words. Select Text from the Edit Tab. Type in your word, choose the font, and click add. You can change the color and size of the words also.

Continue to add words of your choice changing up the colors and fonts and even the direction. I added some holiday stickers too.

Once you have everything the way you want it, choose the Save & Share tab. Name your printable and save to your computer. Now you have a custom printable.

Here is the one I made for anyone that would like to use it. I printed it as an 8x10 and put in a matted frame.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Now that I'm all full of turkey and dressing, I can focus on the BIG HOLIDAY ahead...Christmas! I can't wait to decorate. My daughter is really into Christmas this year. She spots every Christmas tree when we're out and is asking for every toy she sees on TV. Since this is the first time she seems to be interested in the holiday, I wanted a way for her to count down the days. I decided an advent would give her something to look forward to each day.

Supplies used:

foam core board

scrapbook paper

glue stick

scissors

1. Cut scrapbook paper into 4 inch squares.

2. Fold 1/2 inch on 3 sides. The pocket ends up being 3x3.5".

3. Glue pockets onto foam core board.

4. Cut 1 inch circles, label with numbers, and glue onto squares.

Fill your pockets with activity cards or small gifts for each day. This is an easy way count down the days with the family.

Monday, November 21, 2011

I have a special treat for you today. My friends over at Cutting Edge Stencils are offering one of my readers $50 to spend on any stencil of their choice. Cutting Edge Stencils has a huge variety of stencils to choose from.

PRIZE: $50 to spend on any stencil you choose with free shipping in the lower 48 states

TO ENTER: Leave a separate comment for each entry. There are 5 chances to win.1. Must be a follower (or become a follower) of Decorating Cents. 2. Must visit Cutting Edge Stencils and leave a comment telling me what stencil you would choose and where you would use it. Optional entries: 3. Like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook and tell them Decorating Cents sent you. 4. Like Decorating Cents on Facebook. 5. Blog or post about this giveaway on Facebook. Please leave an email address in the comment if you don't have a blog to link back to.

This giveaway will end Sunday, November 27 at 8pm EST and the winner will be chosen by random.org.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

We're having guests over for Thanksgiving so I thought this would be the perfect time to start putting the formal dining room together. People will actually be eating in there so it has to look somewhat presentable. I love the look of stencils so I thought I would give it a try. I ordered the Moroccan Dream from Cutting Edge Stencils. The process was fairly easy, but took a few hours to complete.

The stencil is made of sturdy 12 mil clear plastic. It is very large and was easy to work with. I taped the stenciled to the wall and used the clip on level to make sure it was straight. Very important to use the level. If the first stencil is un-level, the rest of the wall will be crooked. I worked in rows from the wall out to the edge. I started by painting the room in Behr Brown Teepee like the rest of the downstairs. After it dried overnight, I stenciled the left wall using Behr Decorator White in Satin. Ignore the tape still up. I started snapping pics before I pulled it all down.

Before

It's amazing what a little paint will do for a room. Now I just need to add some accessories and hopefully the room will be ready by Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I normally don't decorate for Thanksgiving. Since we're having guests over, I wanted to add a few items to make the place welcoming. I've seen subway art around so I decided to give it a try at making my own.

Start by opening Picnik.com. Since there is no way to open a blank document, you need to upload any photo. Click upload a photo. Since I wanted my document to be portrait, I uploaded a photo that was already in that format.

Once your picture is uploaded, select Stickers from the Edit tab. Under the Geometric shape section, choose the rectangle. The sticker is automatically horizontal so you may have to rotate it if your picture is portrait. Enlarge the sticker to cover your uploaded photo and change the background color to your choice.

You can now begin to add your words. Select Text from the Edit Tab. Type in your word, choose the font, and click add. You can change the color and size also.

Continue to add words of your choice changing up the colors and fonts and even the direction.

Once you have everything the way you want it, choose the Save & Share tab. Name your printable and save to your computer. Now you have a custom printable.

Here is the one I created for anyone interested. I printed it as an 8x10 and put in a matted frame.

Monday, November 14, 2011

I've noticed the new trend of Drum Chandeliers. I knew I wanted an updated fixture over the breakfast area besides the ugly one that we acquired with the house. I hadn't changed it yet because I wasn't sure what I wanted to go over the table. After seeing a couple versions of it by Jackie and Carrie, I thought a drum chandelier would be a great modern and casual update.

I went to Lowes to grab the Portfolio Mini Pendant Light Fixture. The had a good selection of shades to choose from, whether it be glass or lamp shade. I ended up choosing an off white shade after searching several other stores.

The pendant was pretty easy to put together.

1. Gather your supplies: light pendant kit, shade, nipples, and couplings.2. Dis-assemble the light kit by unscrewing the rods and canopy from the socket.3. Screw on a coupling and nipple. This lengthens the piece on which your shade sits on.4. Slide your shade onto the cord and rest it on the coupling.

5. Screw the first rod onto the nipple. Add the remaining 2 rods one at a time.6. Remove the inside bar from the canopy.7. Slide the canopy over the wire. The canopy insert rotates so you easily do this. 8. Once the wire is inserted, straighten the canopy. Follow the instructions to mount to the ceiling.

It was that easy. Look at the difference.

Now I have an updated light that matches the house. Now I'm pondering covering the shade with some pretty fabric. But which fabric?